Pages

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Guest Post & Excerpt: Kristy Berridge

HELLO, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE :) ♥

Last week, I read and reviewed The Hunted by Kristy Berridge, which I thought was such a coolly dark take on vampires with a twist of snark and a cast of fun characters! (You can read my review here.) Today, I have Kristy on my blog to share a guest post on writing as well as a jam-packed excerpt from her book. I hope you enjoy it!

The Guest Post: Being a Writer

There’s no denying that being a writer is extremely hard work. There is an assumption that we sit at our computers all day, coffee in one hand, procrastination in the other. Well, I usually don’t have time to drink coffee because I’m too busy procrastinating.
Kidding.
Truthfully, when you’re not Stephanie Meyer or Anne Rice, you still have to go to work and pay your bills. I am no stranger to this, so I find that most of my writing is done before work, after work, and on the weekends. Thankfully I have a super, awesome husband that actually takes what I do seriously, so I have plenty of spare time to actually produce something for you to read!
Alas, The Hunted was born and hopefully will grace the bookshelves of every home in months to come. It’s all about world domination. I’m sneaking in via your Kindle and hopefully making your fingers itch to turn the pages of this kick-ass read. Can you say your own novel is kick-ass?
Kick-ass it is.
Anyway, I thought I’d give you an excerpt to whet your appetite – one of the action scenes between Elena and the Werewolves (Vânătors). And, with the release of The Damned coming in the next few months, you might want to get in soon and find out where all this goes. Let’s just say it’s nowhere you expect and no one is ever who they seem. Enjoy!
Kristy :)

Don't you just love it when you get to meet awesome authors like Kristy? That's another one of many reasons why I love blogging like I do! ♥ Hmm. If I ever finalize my dream of being a writer, I wonder if I'll end up being a waitress on the side... Haha I really don't know what else I love to do besides write! x)

The Epic Excerpt

Before I had a second to think, he grabbed me fiercely by the neck and hoisted me off the ground, my feet kicking wildly in the air. I struggled; his grip on my throat was tight, but not enough to kill me. If he wasn’t going to kill me, the alpha obviously wanted to keep me alive, either to feed from me again or mate with me. Either prospect was unappealing.
I took a second and tried to calm myself. I balled my hands into fits and swung at the Vânător’s face as hard as I could in a one, two, three punch combination. I started from the left, then the right, finishing with one massive hit under the chin.
I watched as my first hit connected with his face, breaking his nose, the second practically exploding into his cheekbone. The third snapped his head backwards, knocking a few teeth out of his jaw. Blood started to spill down his decimated nose and pool around his mouth, dripping onto the floor.
He staggered backwards in surprise, releasing his grip on me so that I fell back clumsily onto the floor, gripping at the edge of the counter for support and rubbing at my sore gravelly throat.
He roared out in pain, the sound erupting from the pit of his stomach soon turning into a mighty howl that spat blood in every direction. His whole body began to quiver in front of me as his skin started to tear open, and thicker tufts of grey matted fur began to poke their way through.
His arms and legs began to grow, the bones shifting within them to allow for the transformation. His fingers and toes pushed through the end of his sneakers, disintegrated them with long black claws. The T-shirt he was wearing began to rip away from his body as he grew larger, the confines of the cotton no longer able to contain his growing form. I could hear and see the bones of his rib cage snapping and contorting painfully in his chest as the beast within released itself from the last of the flesh containing him.Run, Elena!
This time I listened to the voice. I was not certain it wasn’t mine, but I followed the advice anyway. I swallowed hard and ran as fast as I could, ducking my way around him while his head was being warped by the beast inside of him. I had never seen anything like it, but I had no time to stop and observe. I needed to get out of there as fast as I could.
I ran through into the living room and past the bureau, backtracking momentarily to grab the car keys. The sound of ripping flesh and grunting was still coming from the kitchen. I shot through the front door in an instant, the darkness outside enveloping me completely.Why hadn’t the sensor light come on?
I got my answer right away when my sneakers crushed the remainder of the light bulb. I didn’t have time to deliberate.
I ran for the Forester and fumbled around with the car keys until I found the right one, and shakily tried to push it into the lock. The darkness around me made it extremely difficult to see what I was doing, but on the second attempt I managed to get it in the keyhole. I quickly opened the door and got in. I was still inserting the keys into the ignition when the giant wolf appeared at the front door.
Shit!
He howled loudly before running full pelt at the car, slamming its body into my door, denting it heavily and pushing it into the cabin, the window fracturing and shattering into my lap.
I twisted the keys in the ignition, praying for the car to start as the beast rammed itself against the car for the second time. The sheer force of the impact lifted the entire driver’s side of the vehicle off the ground, only to crash heavily back onto the concrete driveway again, the rest of the windows shattering with the impact.

Do you believe me now when I say that Elena is one totally kick-butt heroine?? I don't know what I'd do when chased by a Vânător/Werewolf, but I probably wouldn't have managed to be anywhere near as awesome as Elena kicking butt! x)

So that's all we've got planned for today, everyone! What do you think? :)

Great post I've been intrigued by this book I keep seeing it all over blog. First - no time for coffee is just absurd so I'm glad you were kidding baha. And second, I can't imagine being a writer it sounds so stressful especially when you have a job on the side. So props to you! :)

Oh, I've been saying this over and over (and over again), but I totally love Kristy and can't wait to read her novel! And of course you can say your novel is kick-ass! There's nothing quite like being proud of your work. And considering that you had to find time to write between work and a husband, you deserve all the praise - from yourself and from others. I already know I'll adore The Hunted. Mimi loved it, and I totally enjoyed the quotes she posted last week, as well as this excerpt.

I thought I loved this book from your review, but this excerpt just makes me want to read it even more! It's so fast paced and action packed and how can you just leave us there hanging with that ending! Guess I really should buy a copy! Brilliant post Mimi and Kristy! :)

This guest post just reminds me that being a writer is a job too, one thing I don't usually aware LOL! x) And it's totally okay to say that your novel is a kickass one, because it certainly is! I'm glad to see another take on vampire! ♥

Oh my gosh, the excerpt is just EPIC! ♥ Elena sounds like a kickass heroine that would make my all-time-favorite-heroines list! If I were chased by werewolf, I don't think that I would ever fight as awesome as Elena! x) This book definitely make my wishlist! Thank you for the amazing post! ♥

Thanks for the reminder of how hard being a working writer is. I think there can be the perception that once your book is published, you're on easy street but publication is no way the end. You still have a lot of work to do and supportive spouses are a very important part of the process :)

I'm so glad I got to read this excerpt! Now it has made me certain I want to read more of this book - the writing there is great! Thanks for sharing this with us. I was interested when I read your review, Mimi, but now I am reading to snatch this out of someone's hands! :D

"Well, I usually don’t have time to drink coffee because I’m too busy procrastinating."

My kind of woman! I excel at procrastination myself, I think I've really turned it into an art form. *pats self on back* It's fantastic that she has such a supportive husband, it's amazing what a difference a solid support system can make when you're pursuing something you desperately want! I started a graphic design business 7 years ago and could not have done it without my husband being there to remind me that I can be successful:)

This Guest post is kick-ass!! Hehe i loved reading it! I can imagine being a writer is not just fun, sitting there and writing... it's hard work!! Also, this books sounds truly awesome and kick ass!! :)) Thanks for sharing!

Oh. My. Gosh. What an excerpt! I definitely love kick-butt heroines like her. And that fight scene was nothing but INTENSE. Although a bit creepy, that werewolf. And woohoo, I just saw it available on kindle. Added it to my wishlist :D

I agree with you about its awesomeness! ♥PS: Only five days until Storm!! *--* Sorry. Couldn't resist.PS2: Tomorrow I'm going to see The Hunger Games! I'm SO EXCITED. Today I even told my dad (who is taking me, straight from the university) what it was about so he'd have more insight tomorrow.I hope the rest of your Thursday turns out great, and yay because tomorrow is Friday! (I love Fridays) ♥♥

Bahahaaaa, it's TOTALLY okay for you to call your own book kick-ass -- I'd probably say the same thing about my own book if I was a writer! (x This book is officially going onto my Kindle! (I wanted to read it before, but it's always when I realize that the author is an awesome person that finalizes the decision and makes me say, "I want to support this author!") The line about Steph Meyer and Anne Rice made me LOL. It's totally true though! But we aaaaaaaaallllll have to admit that Mimi is so adorable, she'd probably make a gazillion dollars on tips as a waitress anyways, so it ain't matter! :P

(Don't deny it, Mimi. No one else could make my Chapters checks disappear as much as you! <333333)

EEE! I need to add this book to my TBR and read it ASAP! It sounds awesome! The excerpt is fantastic as well! Thank you for sharing this awesome post with us, Mimi and thank you for the guest post & excerpt, Kristi! <3

WHOAAAAA THAT IS SOME AWESOME ACTION<3 Mann...Elena certainly IS KICK-ASS! I REALLY NEED to get my hands on this soon!Wow..authors must be REALLY BUSY people- having to work & write & go interviews/guest posts :S Anyway, awesome guest post Kristy & Mimi!<3

Search This Blog

About Me

Mimi Valentine

I'm just an enthusiastic 15-year-old girl who loves to read and blog about what I read. Anything else you need to know should be on the "About Me" or "Policies" pages on my blog!

I definitely accept ARCs or already released books for review, and I'm also available to participate in any blog tours or book reveals too. If anything, please don't hesitate to email me any time for any reason at mimivalentine@hotmail.ca! :)